Yep, uh-hum...BIG lesson
so... i went with my friend to this church this morning. we knew this lady...ok, let me back up. it all started with God doing something in my heart. about two years ago, God was teaching me the power of prayer. i was taking a year off of school b/c i felt like God wanted me to. at the time, i remember thinking this is ridiculous, but i was trusting in God to reveal His will in my life. so, here i was - driving to work everyday and God laid this neighborhood on my heart (that i would pass by on my way there and back home). title: the Flinthills Place. it was totally random b/c obviously, i had nothing to do with these people. i knew no one that lived there. but God kept telling me - pray for these people. so i did. and just this intense burden for the hearts of these people came upon me. i was torn for the lost in that neighborhood. God gave me a love for the people that i would never had imagined. but i didn't know what to do. i knew that God was about to do something there but i wasn't sure how to take the first step, and secretly hoping that all i would be doing is praying for these people. you know - in the safety and comfort of my home. Prayer is "easy" in a sense that you are only down on your knees interceding for people..,.yah, it is a heavy emotional burden to carry for a moment but you can give it to the Lord and suddenly it's light. so i kept praying...
that following december, i decided to go on a missions trip with Ichthus to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is another blog all in itself, but let's just say - God did some POWERFUL stuff and revealed Himself to me in ways i had never seen before. so when i came back to Manhattan - i was ON FIRE! and totally pumped to be bold. get out there and proclaim the kingdom of God at hand! and God definitely at that point told me i should start "doing" what i was praying for the Flinthills place. enter: Jenna Wilson. in her boldness decides to join me on a prayer walk in the neighborhood (the Flinthills Place). we asked God to point us to a door. when we first pulled up - God gave Jenna some numbers. when we looked up, that house number was right in front of us. weird. we went up to knock on the door. let me tell you - i've never felt more ridiculous in my life. so what are we going to say? "we were just walking about the neighborhood praying and God gave us the number to your house, and wanted to let you know that God loved you?" i mean, come on - seriously...weird. (yes, i have a secret fear of being labeled a "Jesus freak") thankfully no one answered. so we kept walking and praying. God directed us to another door so we walked up boldly and knocked. my knees were shaking but i was SO confident that this was the one God wanted. well, this lady opened the door. we told her the truth..."we were walking through your neighborhood praying and God pointed your door out to us." she started asking about what church we went to and stuff...then once she found out we were born again believers just seeking to do the will of the Father, she started pouring out words of encouragement and truth into our lives. Jenna and i were both speechless as she boldly told us who we were in Christ. encouraging us to be steadfast and strong against spiritual warfare. i think she invited us into her house and we sat there and listened to her talking for like 30 minutes straight. then we prayed. she prayed for us and we prayed for her. i remember that when she prayed for us, the Lord moved her to pray for me specifically. she came over and laid hands on me and declared God's love over me. she spoke openly and boldly addressing issues that i was struggling with in my life about self-identity and purity. i was in tears that evening. i have a little heart weak of faith, but we knocked. God opened the door and spoke that evening through the ministry of my dear sweet lady. we have stayed in contact with her. and we have had opportunity to encourage her as well as being encouraged by her. it a blessing of a friendship.
anyways - long story...but last week Jenna and i were back in the neighborhood (this is a year later) we were walking around praying once again. and once again, God points out very clearly another door to us. we saw it from the back, so when we walked around to the front, surely as it was - the house number that Jenna had first visioned the year before. we decided to make bread for the household, so the next day we knocked and meet a sweet family. and here we are at church with the lady...i have a feeling that this is another blessing of a friendship that God has laid in my lap. all i can say is - i serve a COOL GOD.
This morning in church a couple things the Lord was telling me...
1) the can of green beans analogy. the pastor was talking about how you get ready to make something. you open up the can of beans and pour it out without even second guessing what was inside it. you simply trust that the label is true and what is inside it is what it says it is. you don't stand there wondering if what inside is really what it is. you don't second guess. it was prepared and manufactured by people that don't know you, that don't care about you, and that don't love you. yet you trust them. you believe that what they say is the truth.
if we have that much faith in a can of green beans, how much more can we trust and believe in the Word of God and what is inside the Bible. it WAS made by God who knows you, and cares about you, and loves you.
2) the power of worshiping in Spirit and in Truth was made evident to me this morning. i don't think i have ever enjoyed singing praises to the Lord as much as i did this morning. it was beautiful. God had softened my heart and He was just pouring His Spirit out upon my heart. i've never been a big "lift up the hands kinda person" but this morning i let it out. my heart is fully committed to the Lord an i am not ashamed to proclaim His goodness and declare freedom in worship. People can label me whatever they want, but i just hope and pray that it is Jesus that they see in me.
3) i am just a an ordinary person, that serves an extraordinary God.
that following december, i decided to go on a missions trip with Ichthus to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is another blog all in itself, but let's just say - God did some POWERFUL stuff and revealed Himself to me in ways i had never seen before. so when i came back to Manhattan - i was ON FIRE! and totally pumped to be bold. get out there and proclaim the kingdom of God at hand! and God definitely at that point told me i should start "doing" what i was praying for the Flinthills place. enter: Jenna Wilson. in her boldness decides to join me on a prayer walk in the neighborhood (the Flinthills Place). we asked God to point us to a door. when we first pulled up - God gave Jenna some numbers. when we looked up, that house number was right in front of us. weird. we went up to knock on the door. let me tell you - i've never felt more ridiculous in my life. so what are we going to say? "we were just walking about the neighborhood praying and God gave us the number to your house, and wanted to let you know that God loved you?" i mean, come on - seriously...weird. (yes, i have a secret fear of being labeled a "Jesus freak") thankfully no one answered. so we kept walking and praying. God directed us to another door so we walked up boldly and knocked. my knees were shaking but i was SO confident that this was the one God wanted. well, this lady opened the door. we told her the truth..."we were walking through your neighborhood praying and God pointed your door out to us." she started asking about what church we went to and stuff...then once she found out we were born again believers just seeking to do the will of the Father, she started pouring out words of encouragement and truth into our lives. Jenna and i were both speechless as she boldly told us who we were in Christ. encouraging us to be steadfast and strong against spiritual warfare. i think she invited us into her house and we sat there and listened to her talking for like 30 minutes straight. then we prayed. she prayed for us and we prayed for her. i remember that when she prayed for us, the Lord moved her to pray for me specifically. she came over and laid hands on me and declared God's love over me. she spoke openly and boldly addressing issues that i was struggling with in my life about self-identity and purity. i was in tears that evening. i have a little heart weak of faith, but we knocked. God opened the door and spoke that evening through the ministry of my dear sweet lady. we have stayed in contact with her. and we have had opportunity to encourage her as well as being encouraged by her. it a blessing of a friendship.
anyways - long story...but last week Jenna and i were back in the neighborhood (this is a year later) we were walking around praying once again. and once again, God points out very clearly another door to us. we saw it from the back, so when we walked around to the front, surely as it was - the house number that Jenna had first visioned the year before. we decided to make bread for the household, so the next day we knocked and meet a sweet family. and here we are at church with the lady...i have a feeling that this is another blessing of a friendship that God has laid in my lap. all i can say is - i serve a COOL GOD.
This morning in church a couple things the Lord was telling me...
1) the can of green beans analogy. the pastor was talking about how you get ready to make something. you open up the can of beans and pour it out without even second guessing what was inside it. you simply trust that the label is true and what is inside it is what it says it is. you don't stand there wondering if what inside is really what it is. you don't second guess. it was prepared and manufactured by people that don't know you, that don't care about you, and that don't love you. yet you trust them. you believe that what they say is the truth.
if we have that much faith in a can of green beans, how much more can we trust and believe in the Word of God and what is inside the Bible. it WAS made by God who knows you, and cares about you, and loves you.
2) the power of worshiping in Spirit and in Truth was made evident to me this morning. i don't think i have ever enjoyed singing praises to the Lord as much as i did this morning. it was beautiful. God had softened my heart and He was just pouring His Spirit out upon my heart. i've never been a big "lift up the hands kinda person" but this morning i let it out. my heart is fully committed to the Lord an i am not ashamed to proclaim His goodness and declare freedom in worship. People can label me whatever they want, but i just hope and pray that it is Jesus that they see in me.
3) i am just a an ordinary person, that serves an extraordinary God.
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